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A review by sparksofember
Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston
5.0
Tempestuous brings back the heavy Shakespearean correlation with Kelley working on a performance of The Tempest. Unlike Darklight where the inclusion felt forced, The Tempest fit perfectly with Tempestuous and I feel it was a clever choice on Livingston’s part to tie the plays into the books the way she did. I actually hadn’t read/seen The Tempest before reading this volume but had to check it out afterwards. Again, if you haven’t read the first two volumes, this review can’t help but be slightly spoilery.
If I thought Darklight started slowly, it was nothing compared to the depressing vibe that begins Tempestuous. But really, a lot is happening right from the beginning. Livingston just does such a good job expressing the melancholy, heartbrokenness of the characters that you become wrapped in it.
One of my favorite things about this book was that the characters actually think the exact same things you are thinking as you read. Kelley’s lie to Sonny is confronted by several characters. And you can understand her reasons, even if you don’t agree with them, just like you can understand the arguments against her choices. Finding a book that remembers the reader isn’t stupid and even goes out of its way to acknowledge our thoughts and questions? What a breath of fresh air!
This is the first volume where the prologue didn’t bother me in the least. It fits and doesn’t alert us to anything we don’t already know. Several Fae are introduced or fleshed out that were previously side characters. Kelley has a Mary Sue moment but promptly messes it up thereby saving herself from a stereotypical end. The action is much more drawn out in this volume. Unlike the last 2 volumes, the action runs the length of the book (after the slow start) though, of course, building toward the ending. I found myself thinking this series would make an excellent movie due to the pace.
The story wraps up nicely. Everything explained, not necessarily tied up with a bow but no dangling threads or unanswered questions. And while I feel Kelley and Sonny’s story is done, there is plenty of room for a spin-off series featuring Fenn. (The first of which was actually released just a few months ago!!)
If I thought Darklight started slowly, it was nothing compared to the depressing vibe that begins Tempestuous. But really, a lot is happening right from the beginning. Livingston just does such a good job expressing the melancholy, heartbrokenness of the characters that you become wrapped in it.
One of my favorite things about this book was that the characters actually think the exact same things you are thinking as you read. Kelley’s lie to Sonny is confronted by several characters. And you can understand her reasons, even if you don’t agree with them, just like you can understand the arguments against her choices. Finding a book that remembers the reader isn’t stupid and even goes out of its way to acknowledge our thoughts and questions? What a breath of fresh air!
This is the first volume where the prologue didn’t bother me in the least. It fits and doesn’t alert us to anything we don’t already know. Several Fae are introduced or fleshed out that were previously side characters. Kelley has a Mary Sue moment but promptly messes it up thereby saving herself from a stereotypical end. The action is much more drawn out in this volume. Unlike the last 2 volumes, the action runs the length of the book (after the slow start) though, of course, building toward the ending. I found myself thinking this series would make an excellent movie due to the pace.
The story wraps up nicely. Everything explained, not necessarily tied up with a bow but no dangling threads or unanswered questions. And while I feel Kelley and Sonny’s story is done, there is plenty of room for a spin-off series featuring Fenn. (The first of which was actually released just a few months ago!!)